Friday Nasiha

Living The Quran

To Know One
Al-Kafirun (The Unbelievers) Sura 109: Verse 1

Say: "O unbelievers!"

Abdallah Ibn Abbas said that no surah is more difficult and harsher for Satan than this surah, because it is sheer tawhid and disavowal of associationism.

Tawhid is of two sorts: the tawhid of attestation and the tawhid of recognition. The tawhid of attestation is to say one, and the tawhid of recognition is to know one.

"To say one" is to bear witness to God's oneness and purity in Essence and attributes. In Essence, He is pure of spouse, child, and partner, and in attributes, He is pure of similar, equal, and pointer. His attributes are not intelligible, their "how" is not understood, comprehended, or limited. They are outside of imagination and understanding, and no one knows how they are.

"To know one" is to know that He is one in blessings and bounties, that the giver and bestower is He, and that He is one in apportioning and beneficence. It is He who is one in word and deed, He who is one in bounty and gentleness, He who is one in mercy and favour. He is one—gratitude and favours belong to no one but Him. No one has power and strength but He, and no one has withholding and bestowal but He.

When the rays of the sun of tawhid shine on the faithful, tawhid-voicing servant, his mark is that he is watchful over his rest and his movement. He does not take one breath without the permission of the Shariah.

Compiled From:
"Kashf al-Asrar wa Uddat al-Abrar" - Rashid al-Din Maybudi, p. 556

From Issue: 1049 [Read original issue]

Understanding The Prophet's Life

Humanness

The things the Prophet (peace be upon him) said and did, he said and did in response to specific situations that arose in people's daily lives; none of them occurred in a vacuum. Hence, they were necessarily tied to practical situations of one sort or another. This is one of the most significant aspects of the distinction that must be made between the Quranic text, which for the most part contains universal principles, and the 'prophetic text,' which issued for the most part from concrete, changing circumstances.

When the hadith narratives portraying the life of the Prophet came to be viewed as themselves constituting the Sunnah, messages that had once been specific to defined situations came to be viewed as though they were intended for general application. However, most of the things the Prophet did and said were not only responses to specific, concrete situations, they were also, and no less importantly, reflections of his humanness. The Quran commanded the Prophet on numerous occasions to declare openly that he was only a human being. And in fact, he took care to emphasize this fact.

Consequently, the Prophet's humanness disqualifies many of his words and actions from being treated as the basis for binding legislation. He made this point explicitly clear in the well-known incident in which he expressed the view that the pollination of palm trees was not a useful practice, after which he reconsidered what he had said in light of his lack of knowledge about such matters, saying, "I am only human. So if I instruct you to do something relating to your religion, do as I say. But if I instruct you to do something based on my opinion, then remember that I am a mere human being." [Muslim] In another version of the same account, the Prophet was quoted as saying, "You all know best how to handle your worldly affairs." [Muslim] And in still another we read, "If I have supposed something to be true, do not take me to task for a mere supposition. But if I tell you something on God's authority, then act on it, for I would not lie about God." [Ibn Majah]

Herein lies the greatness, and earthiness, of this religion. Herein lies its fitness for all times and places. For here we find the Prophet himself drawing a decisive distinction between his abilities as Prophet and his abilities as mere human being, between personal opinion and religious instruction, between human attempts to discern truth and divine revelation, between worldly affairs and spiritual affairs, between what he says on his own behalf and what he says as God's representative. There exists, then, both revelation from God, which is binding as a religious duty, and earthly matters about which experts in the field concerned know best.

Compiled From:
"Reviving The Balance: The Authority of the Qur'an and the Status of the Sunnah" - Taha Jabir Alalwani, pp. 140, 141

From Issue: 1004 [Read original issue]

Cool Tips!

Six Tips To Dealing with TV

It's tough to escape peer pressure when your friends keep talking about the clothes, the music and the stars. Today, Television defines teen culture. With its barrage of alluring advertisements and captivating shows, it tells you what is cool and what is 'in' and 'out. Let Islam, not the media, decide your dress code, morals, and values.

1. Watch what is Halal. Stick to the most "clean" material you can find. TV should be used with discretion to watch educational and insightful programs or decent entertainment.

2. Remove the TV from your room. Having a TV set in your own room encourages you to watch it more. You are less likely to be tempted by Shaytan to watch something indecent when you have a parent, a sibling, or a friend watching with you. Remember, Shaytan loves attacking people who are 'bored', sitting idle, or in a company of bad people. Keep the TV in the main room, where it won't distract you.

3. Adopt and support Islamic media. Hundreds of educational or entertainment multi-media products crafted by Muslim artists, writers, producers, and singers hit the market every year. These cartoons, movies, and songs could be enjoyable for the entire family!

4. Limit viewing time. If you have to watch TV, limit yourself. Write down a number of hours per week and stick to your limit.

5. Keep the box off when you're doing other things. Whether you're eating dinner, doing your homework, or reading a magazine, you dont need the TV to be on at the same time--keeping it on simply encourages you to watch TV more and neglect other activities.

6. Have a TV free get-together with friends. Make the following rule: no one will watch TV or movies in the living room. If you want to go further, make it a rule that the topics of conversation cannot revolve around the latest twist in a soap opera or the most recent plot on a sci-fi show. Play basketball, go for a walk, do anything but watch TV.

Compiled From:
"Turn off TV - Turn on Life" - Young Muslims Publications

From Issue: 538 [Read original issue]